This invention relates to ornamentations, and more particularly to multi-part ornamentations particularly in the form of buttons, jewelry and the like and the method of fabrication thereof.
Ornamentations, particularly in the form of buttons and items of jewelry such as broaches, pins, rings, earrings, bracelets, beads, pendants and the like are used extensively to dress-up and decorate households, wearing apparel and one's person.
Buttons, for example, are extensively use on garments and for wearing apparel as fastening devices and for decoration and ornamentation. Jewelry is similarly worn and displayed for like purposes. Buttons and jewelry are also used as fasteners and for ornamentation and decoration for non-garment, non-wearing apparel applications. Accordingly, there is a relatively great need for a large variety of shapes, sizes and configurations for such ornamentations, buttons and jewelry, and for a variety of ornamentation and finishes for such sizes, shapes and configurations.
According to this invention, items of ornamentation generally include a base member or portion which is utilized to facilitate disposition of the item of ornamentation for use. Buttons, for example, include holes or a loop through which thread or other fastening material is passed to attach and secure the button to the garment, wearing apparel or other surface to which the button is to be attached. Jewelry pieces include pins, catches, loops, chains, clips, clasps and a myriad of other devices by which the decorative part of the jewelry item is positioned for show.
The button surface for many buttons is plain and merely displays the material from which the button is made and the particular color or colors selected. However, a considerable number of buttons and most jewelry items are finished in one of many conventional ways, to provide a decorative surface that may, for instance, be secured to a base as by the use of an adhesive as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,781. The use of adhesives in ornamentation manufacture is messy, especially for relatively small items such as buttons. It requires a certain amount of dexterity to place the decorative member in place on its base and may result in marring or discoloration of the base by adhesive leaking or otherwise ending up on an exposed portion of the ornamentation piece. This patent also provides for snapping a decorative member for the button in place but this form of manufacture limits the ornamentation carrier to one having a ridge about the decorative member and to one where the decorative member is fabricated from springy material and requires a certain amount of dexterity to spring the decorative member and place it within its ridge.
An alternative multi-part construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,439, but that construction is intended only for use with coins as the decorative element and requires a clevis that is loosely positioned and held in place by the decorative element. Other multi-part constructions are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 56,791; 316,253; and 327,442. However these constructions either require relatively small elements which are clearly easily assembled together and just as easily separated or utilize a button base and decorative member that are threadably secured together and as such also relatively easily separated one from the other. In fact, that is the purpose to these constructions, to provide relatively easy separation so that the user may easily make such changes at will. In addition, the use of screw threads on a small item like a button or piece of jewelry or other ornamentation dictates the use of fine threads which may bind and hinder proper assembly and disassembly and therefore the functioning and aesthetics of the item.
Some multi-part constructions use a base part and a decorative part that assembles to the base with a snap type detenting action such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,087,074; 3,414,949; 3,133,331; 4,742,696; and 4,959,890. However, all these constructions utilize fastening elements to position the decorative member to its carrier or base that not only snap together but also snap apart just as easily since it is their intention to specifically provide for relatively easy changing by the user as the user desires from time to time. Such fastening elements may also permit separation of the decorative member from the base when not desired and loss of the decorative member. In addition, fastening elements which are utilized again and again lose their functionality with repeated use and may eventually fail to hold the decorative member in place completely.
Spring like or resilient-type fastening elements for securing other type of items together are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,674,107; 2,860,395; 4,507,344; 4,793,155; 4,891,956; 4,899,556 and 4,912,829. Such constructions also are intended for ready changing by the user and are subject to the deficiencies stated above for buttons and jewelry items with readily interchangeable decorative members.
Other multi-part constructions are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,220,038; 2,354,513; and 4,471,510. The features that render the ornamentation changeable at will by the user also enables the decorative part to easily separate from its base in use or while laundering or cleaning. Similar deficiencies are obvious for the other constructions.